


The Beginning of Something Beautiful

by misura



Category: Eureka
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-11
Updated: 2007-08-11
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1625324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everybody knows private tutoring leads to romance. Well, everybody except Sheriff Jack Carter, that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of Something Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ekaterinn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekaterinn/gifts).



"You want _me_ to tutor you?" Henry asked, looking as if Jack had just asked him for a trip to the moon - which, on second thought, was actually likely to have been received with less surprise, considering Henry was supposed to have designed, built and repaired space-shuttles.

"If you're not too busy." Jack shrugged. "It's just that, well, everyone in this town seems to know more than I do." When it came to science, at any rate - Jack had yet to find someone who could beat him in a game of sports-trivia. "Half the time, I don't have any idea what they're talking about."

Plus, Jack thought it'd be very nice to be able to come up with a possible explanation for the Weird Event of the Week all by himself, even if it was just once - or at least be able to do more than stand around pretending he had a clue what Stark and Fargo were talking about when they explained the problem to him, as well as why it was completely not their fault.

"It's been a long while since I had a student." Henry's tone implied not all the memories were good ones. "Maybe you'd better ask someone else - not Nathan, perhaps, but I think you get along with Fargo well enough, and he could do with something else to occupy his mind aside from Buffy and Global Dynamics."

"Fargo's okay," Jack admitted, slightly reluctantly and swallowing the 'but'. Fargo wasn't a bad sort, true, but he was hardly someone Jack thought of as a 'friend'.

Henry sighed and raised his hands. "Look, it's not that I don't _want_ to - "

"It's just that you're busy with something of your own," Jack finished. "That's fine, Henry - I appreciate you helping me out as often as you do. Forget I asked; it was just an idea. No big deal."

"No." Henry shook his head. "No, I've got the time. I'll do it - my pleasure."

"Great," Jack said, a little puzzled by this sudden change in attitude, but deciding it would be hardly polite to pry. "Every time I see Zoe walking at me with a schoolbook, I'm worried she's going to ask me to explain something to her and force me to admit I can't."

Henry grinned. "Ah. Now we get to the real reason why you want someone to tutor you. You're just scared to admit to your daughter you're not all-knowing."

"I think she figured that out already, a long time ago." Jack grimaced.

Henry chuckled.

x

"Good evening, Doctor Deacon," SARAH said, at the same time Jack said: "Glad to see you could make it, Henry." Zoe was in her room - to make her homework, she'd said, although Jack suspected she was actually just using Eureka's intranet to hang out with some friends (female ones, he hoped) in spirit, if not in body. (Jack had asked SARAH, but she'd claimed that being a minor did not mean Zoe didn't have a right to privacy, which in turn meant that while SARAH would be happy to remind Zoe that being in bed by ten o'clock was good for one's health, SARAH felt under no obligation to tell Jack what Zoe was doing, let alone whom she was communicating with.)

"Good evening, Jack, SARAH." If Henry felt weird greeting a house, he hid it well. "Isn't Zoe around?"

"Homework." Jack made a dismissive gesture. "Can I get you something to drink? Some coffee?" A beer might be less suitable for a study-session, Jack supposed - even if SARAH had several non-alcoholic beers on tap, in spite of Jack repeatedly having told her beer wasn't beer if it didn't have any alcohol in it. SARAH stubbornly maintained he'd never taste the difference.

"Yes, please." Henry sat down. Jack noticed he'd brought a backpack with him that looked like it had either been stuffed with bricks, or with books.

"I didn't know Henry was coming over this evening," Zoe commented as Jack walked into the kitchen, quickly shoving a plate of something or another out of sight. She'd hardly eaten anything at dinner, claiming her stomach was a little upset with an expression on her face that had informed Jack he did _not_ want to push her for details, since if he did so, she'd provide him with them.

"Oh, yeah, he's just ... helping me out with something," Jack said vaguely, pretending not to have noticed the plate. "SARAH, coffee, please."

"I like Henry," Zoe declared. "He's a nice guy."

Jack blinked, then decided he'd just take it all in stride and blame it on Zoe being in a strange mood this evening. "I think so too," he said truthfully.

"Doctor Deacon is not only nice, but also extremely intelligent, not to mention quite good-looking," SARAH chimed in. "It really _is_ surprising he's still single."

"I'm also still single," Jack protested, wondering what was going on - SARAH almost sounded like she was trying to make a match for Henry, which was just plain ridiculous, since Henry was old enough to be Zoe's father. Of course, being a computer, SARAH might not know anything about age-differences - Jack resolved to have a chat with her about the subject later on.

"Yes, Dad, we know," Zoe said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't let Doctor Deacon's coffee get cold. I know he likes it hot," SARAH said.

Jack resisted the temptation to mutter something under his breath (SARAH's hearing was excellent, and she'd doubtlessly repeat his words to Zoe, who'd remind him of them for the rest of the week) and returned to the living room, where Henry had unpacked several stacks of books.

"The good news is that both my house and my daughter like you," Jack said, sitting down after handing Henry his cup of coffee. "The bad news is that I think my house wants to hook you up with someone - I'm afraid to ask her for details, but I'm terrified it's Zoe."

"Sheriff Carter, I'd never do that!" SARAH objected. "Besides, Zoe's already seeing someone."

"Zoe's - what? Who? Why didn't I know about that?" Jack demanded.

"She probably didn't tell you because she knew you would react irrationally and yell at her without the slightest consideration for her feelings," SARAH said primly. "Therefore, I must request you not to tell her I shared this information with you, which was entrusted to me in confidence."

"Like hell I will!" Jack jumped up. "ZOE!"

"Uhm, Jack? Maybe now is not the right time?" Henry asked, picking up one of the books and beginning to put it back into his backpack.

SARAH remained silent, but Jack could practically _hear_ her telling him it was pretty rude of him to get Henry to come by and then let him leave again without having so much as looked at a book. She was right, too. Jack sighed and sat down again.

"I could serve some healthy but nutritional snacks to help you concentrate and provide you with the necessary energy to study," SARAH said brightly.

"Thanks, SARAH." Jack looked at the top book in the nearest stack. '101 Fun Things to do With Atoms'.

"You're welcome, Sheriff Carter."

"Would you mind calling me 'Henry'?" Henry asked. "Everyone else does."

"I'd be happy to do so, Henry," SARAH said. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

x

The impending 'end of the world as most people know it' came and went - Fargo explained how nobody at Global Dynamics could have known in advance that the combination of some sort of experimental goo and popcorn would result in anything dangerous, and Stark glowered, grumbled and ground out answers to Jack's questions. The same as usual, in other words.

Still, Jack couldn't help but feel like something was _different_ , like something was just the slightest bit off. Stark wasn't happy to see him - he never was - but he seemed less annoyed by Jack walking into his office with Allison in tow than usual. In fact, he didn't even comment when Allison announced she thought she and Jack would be able to investigate the lab where the mutated popcorn had originated on their own - he did suggest they'd take Fargo, only that was all.

Fargo claimed to be busy - with a Buffy-picture-gallery, as far as Jack could see - so Jack and Allison ended up talking to the team behind the popcorn-threat by themselves, without anyone running interference, or clearing their throat in a significant way. It would have been wonderful, if only Jack hadn't gotten the growing feeling that Something Was Going On.

"Is it just me, or are people acting a little weird today?" he asked Allison as they headed back to let Stark know what they'd found out so far.

"Weird?" Allison repeated, frowning slightly. "In what way?"

"Nicer. More inclined to cooperate. I don't know."

"And you're complaining about that?" Allison grinned.

Jack grinned back. Put like that, it did sound a bit funny. "No, I guess not."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Allison advised.

"Oh, I will, believe me. Although, you know, it's strange to have Stark actually treat me like a normal human being. I almost miss him trying to get me out of the door as quickly as possible."

"Nathan's not a bad person." Allison sighed. Jack hoped it wasn't something he'd said, although he feared it was - he kept having trouble picturing Allison ever falling for a man like Stark. "He can just get a little ... possessive when he thinks someone's trying to take something that belongs to him away from him. Or _someone_ that he imagines to belong to him."

It didn't take a genius to figure _that_ one out. "Well, when it comes to you, I guess I can understand where he's coming from," Jack said.

Allison smiled. "Thanks, Jack. You really know how to make a woman feel appreciated. A pity ... "

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

"Nothing." Allison shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go and tell Nathan the news."

"You tell him the good news, I'll tell him the bad news."

Allison chuckled.

x

"Will you be wanting to serve pie this evening?" SARAH asked thirteen days later. "I could make some fresh apple-pie, or cherry-pie, if you prefer that."

"Uhm, why would I want to serve pie?" Jack replied absently, flipping through 'Understanding Chaos Theory in Ten Easy Steps'.

"Well, Sheriff Carter, I believe it's traditional for people to celebrate anniversaries," SARAH said.

"And?" Jack scowled as the first 'easy' step turned out to be a ten-page list of books and articles to read.

"And this evening you and Henry will have been seeing each other in a more intimate sense of the word for two weeks," SARAH explained. "I thought you might want to celebrate."

"I don't mind pie," Zoe said, walking in and grabbing one of the other books on the table. " 'Quantum Mechanics for Beginners'. Whoa, Dad, you're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"You would, of course, be welcome to have some as well, Zoe," SARAH said.

"Oh, fine, why not?" Jack tossed the 'Ten Easy Steps (But Not Really)' book back on the table.

"Do you have any preference what kind?" SARAH inquired.

"Nope," Jack said. "Zoe?"

"Henry likes cherry-pie," SARAH said, before Zoe could answer.

Zoe shrugged.

"Cherry-pie it is, then," Jack said. "Great. Glad we got that settled."

And quite delicious cherry-pie it was, too.

x

"I don't mind, you know," Fargo said, glancing sideways at Jack for the tenth time in fifteen minutes.

"Don't mind what?" Jack asked, perhaps a little more sharply than the situation warranted. True, Fargo was getting on his nerves, but it wasn't as if he was doing it on purpose.

"You know." Fargo made a vague gesture. "It."

"No, I don't," Jack said. "I actually don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. Or why you keep looking at me like that," he added, as Fargo glanced at him again.

"Sorry," Fargo said.

"Fargo?" Jack had been a US Marshall for years - he knew a guilty look when he saw one. "Tell me."

"Ah." Fargo fidgeted. "You're ... with Henry, aren't you? It's all over town. I didn't believe it at first, only then I asked SARAH and she told me it was true. Vince says he's always known, but I'm pretty sure he's lying - I mean, well, you used to be married, right?"

"That's right." Jack failed to see what that had to do with his study-sessions with Henry, or why Vince would brag about having known about them before anyone else. Probably another of those things about Eureka he'd never understand, even if he could get someone to explain it to him.

Fargo nodded. "I don't mind," he repeated.

"Wonderful," Jack said. "Are you done compiling those data yet?"

x

"The weather-conditions outside are really ghastly," SARAH reported that same evening, after three hours of Advanced Number Theory.

"Well, guess I'll get wet," Henry said, rising and collecting his books and notebooks.

"Maybe it'll let up soon." Jack rose as well. "SARAH?"

"Extremely unlikely."

"Why don't you ask him to stay over?" Zoe proposed.

"I'm standing right here, you know," Henry said.

"All right - would you like to stay over?" Zoe asked.

"Zoe!" Jack protested. "Henry's got work waiting for him at home, and anyway, we don't have anything like a guestroom. Want to borrow an umbrella?" he offered to Henry.

"Actually, Jack - is it okay to call you that? - you have a very comfortable guestroom," SARAH said.

"Yeah, I'm fine with you calling me that," Jack said. "And ah we do?"

"Oh, yes."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Henry said.

"You wouldn't want to catch pneumonia either," Zoe said.

"It would be no trouble at all," Jack said. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Friends?" Zoe snorted. "Oh, please, Dad, come _on_. How dumb do you think I am?"

"You," Jack said, "are going straight to bed."

x

The next day, SARAH surprised them all with what had to be the most luxurious breakfast Jack had ever seen outside of a hotel. Zoe was emphatically not looking at either him or Henry, while SARAH reminded Jack that he'd ordered her not to watch the bedrooms. It was all very unsettling and Jack was almost glad when he arrived at the office to have Jo tell him Stark wanted to see him ASAP.

Jack left right away, cursing Stark for not simply leaving a message or telling Jo about his problem - she was every bit as capable as Jack, after all, and Stark had to know that.

"Sheriff," Stark said, smiling unpleasantly as he gestured for Jack to sit down.

Jack almost felt relieved at the hostility. "Scientist," he replied. "What's up?"

"Considering you've just come out to the entire town, I think it's no more than reasonable to ask you to stop calling my wife whenever you have some sort of business with me," Stark said. "We're both adults; we can treat one another like that."

"I don't quite follow what you're getting at," Jack said.

Stark smirked and leaned back in his seat. "Well, so long as I thought you were interested in sleeping with my wife, naturally it would have been unfair of me to forbid you from keeping her from her own work to help you do yours. Since it turned out it's _Henry_ you want to sleep with, though, well, you can see my point, I'm sure."

"I do not want to sleep with Henry," Jack said.

"No, that's right, I forgot - you're already doing it, right?" Stark replied. "Do send me an invitation when the two of you decide to make it official - I'll probably be busy, but you never know."

"I'm not - " Jack began, when his cellphone rang. It was Henry. "Excuse me."

"Go right ahead," Nathan gestured magnanimously.

"Jack, I think we've got a problem," Henry said. "A _big_ problem."

"Tell me about it," Jack said.

x

"This is so uncool!" Zoe complained.

"Yeah." Jack sagged on the couch, several empty beerglasses in front of him. He felt like he'd needed them, while explaining the whole misunderstanding about him and Henry to Zoe.

"I mean, I thought you were gay!" Zoe went on.

"I know."

"Damn. This is so unfair!" Zoe kicked the couch.

"I thought you and Henry made for a good couple, Jack," SARAH contributed.

Zoe nodded emphatically. It occured to Jack, a bit belatedly, that Zoe wasn't upset about the rumor itself; she was upset about the rumor turning out to be untrue.

"Perhaps you ought to reconsider your position," SARAH added.

"I am _not_ gay!" Jack said firmly.

"I am," Henry said, lifting his head. "Well, bisexual, really."

"Well, it's not as if I have anything _against_ gay people," Jack amended quickly.

"Yeah, Dad, you're, like, _so_ open-minded," Zoe said sarcastically.

"Zoe!"

"What?" Zoe snapped back. "You nearly went ballistic when I told you I wanted a piercing! You never let me do _anything_! If I told you I was dating a girl, you'd flip!"

"Are you?" Jack asked.

"Maybe," Zoe said. Jack glowered at her. "No," she admitted. "But I could be!"

"Perhaps I should go home now," Henry said. He sounded more miserable than Jack could ever remember having seen him, excepting the time after Kim's death, during which he'd hardly seen Henry at all, telling himself he was respecting Henry's right to grieve in private.

"Henry ... look, I'm sorry." Jack rose, not quite sure what to do or say, but feeling quite clearly that he had to do or say _something_.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Jack," Henry told him. "It was all just a simple misunderstanding, that's all. I'll clear things up, and everything will go back to the way it was before."

"I don't _want_ things to go back to the way it was before," Jack said. "I want - well, I don't know what I want, exactly, but it's not that. I like you, Henry. A lot. You're one of the good guys."

"Thanks." Henry's smile was very faint, but Jack still considered it a victory.

"And hey, maybe Zoe's right - maybe I'm not as open-minded as I could be. If I could ... I'd like to try and see if I can change that." Jack felt incredibly awkward as he stepped up to Henry and put his arms around him in what had to be the most uncomfortable hug he'd ever given anyone.

"Tell me you're recording this, SARAH," Zoe said, whooping. "Dad _never_ tells me I'm right."

"Would you mind perhaps not standing on my toes?" Henry asked.

"I'm sure this is the beginning of something beautiful," SARAH said.

 


End file.
